Happily Ever After - Or Not?
by Crackers414
Summary: Bella and Edward are living happily with the rest of their family, Renesmee is happily just married to Jacob, and everything seems perfect. . . Until a figure from Edward's past shows up. Will Edna destroy Bella and Edward's happiness. . . Or make Bella realize that it was all a dud anyways? Read on to find out. . . Belasper, (BellaxJasper) EdwardxOC.
1. How it all began

**A/N: Believe it or not, I got this idea from a dream. No, I am NOT giving up my other fanfiction (Secrets of a Cowboy); I'm just trying to see if I can get my motivation going. Warning: I haven't thought this out much at all yet! Set fifteen-ish years after BD. EDWARD LOVERS PROCEED WITH CAUTION, PLEASE DON'T FLAME JUST BECAUSE EDWARD'S ONE OF THE WORSE GUYS! All reviews appreciated, though!  
>DISCLAIMER: I do not own Twilight, the characters of Twilight, or anything associated with Twilight. I am simply taking the characters and playing with them – Only the plot is mine.<strong>

VERY SHORT PROLOGUE AND CHAPTER ONE.

Hi, my name is Bella Cullen. Perhaps you've heard of me, perhaps not. For those of you that haven't, I'm an animal-drinking vampire, there were at least four books published about me that got quite a few facts wrong (Like, Jasper and Alice aren't mates. Yes, they dated, but they aren't mates.), I have a half-vamp, half-human daughter, and blah blah blah, boring boring boring. This is yet another story about me, but this time, I'm writing it. This isn't some BS about how I lived my happily-ever-after either. This is about lies, betrayals, stupidity, and let's add in a sprinkle of greed here, a smatter of complete and total idiocy there, and to make everything even _more_ complicated, let's add in a heaping helping of love. Sorry, did that sound bitter? I've decided to write this story down so that the entire world can know what an idiotic, self-absorbed, stupid creature Edward is. It happened five years ago, fifteen years after he and I got married, but it still stings. Here it is. . .

I was sitting at the computer Skyping with Renesmee when Edward pulled in the driveway. We were living in Canada at the time, and Carlisle was at the hospital, Esme was meeting someone to talk about their house, Alice and Rosalie were clothes shopping, and Emmett and Jasper were out looking at (A.k.a. drooling over) motorcycles. Edward had gone to teach some kid to play the piano, or so I thought, but here he was, walking in the door with one of the biggest grins I'd ever seen on his face. "Hello, Bella, Nessie!" He greeted us cheerfully, pulling me in for a hug and a quick kiss, and waving at the computer. "Hi, Dad. What's up?" Ness asked carefully. "Edna, a friend of mine I knew some time ago, has decided that since she's in the area, she would like to come over and spend some time with us." I frowned – She? And why hadn't Edward mentioned this Edna to me before? I admit it, I was jealous at the time, and I was seeing red flags.

"I've already arranged it with Carlisle, Edna will be here later tonight. Oh, that's if you don't mind, dear." Edward said enthusiastically, turning to me. Another red flag popped up; why hadn't Edward asked me _before_ he made arrangements and cleared it with Carlisle, the head of the household? But I didn't mention that and simply said, "Sure. I don't mind." Edward really looked like he was looking forward to this, and I didn't want to be the evil, jealous, overprotective wife who claims the head of any girl her husband looks at, much less wants her to visit! That would _not_ be a good first impression. You don't know how many times I've wished that I truthfully said, "Yes, I do mind, actually." But I'm getting ahead of myself; my apologies. Edward's smile got even bigger then, and he grabbed his cell phone and hit a button. I noticed it only rang once and raised an eyebrow. "Hello?" a dainty, very pretty, feminine voice said. "Hello, Edna? It's Edward. If you still want to come over and spend a month or so with us, it's fine." Edward told the voice in a rush.

I looked at the computer, where Skype was still running, and I saw that Renesmee's jaw was hanging open, her eyes bugged out. "A _month?!" _She mouthed. "I wasn't hearing wrong?!" I mouthed back; I was sure my panic was showing on my face. We both gulped. Meanwhile, Edward and the voice – Edna's – were having a conversation, chattering on about some prank she had pulled him. "Do you want me to come over and stay for a while, too?" Renesmee mouthed after getting my attention again. I thought about it for a moment, and then shook my head. Jacob probably wouldn't like it, or he might stay behind. He had a pack to look after. And if he stayed, Ness would be miserable, and they were newly married – Renesmee didn't need her parents hovering over her. The first few months were the most romantic, after all. It just couldn't work satisfactorily either way, and I didn't want to do that to my daughter. You only get married once. . . In most cases, anyways.

Renesmee smiled, and shrugged. "If you change your mind, let me know." She mouthed before waving and signing off. I smiled back, an instant too late, grateful for her offer. Edward finally hung up, still smiling. "Edward, did I hear you correctly when you asked if this Edna person still wanted to come over for 'a month or so'?" I asked, quoting him almost exactly. He laughed. "Yes. You _are_ fine if Edna stays for a month or two, right?" He checked. _Two _months? Another red flag: This just kept getting worse. "And she's not 'this Edna person' Bella, she was one of my best friends in the forties." He added. I plastered a smile on my face. "No, it's completely fine, I just wanted to know. Just so long as she doesn't hunt in the town, I'm fine with it." I lied. I knew she probably wasn't vegetarian, sadly. Then Alice and Rosalie pulled in, and Edwards left to tell them the news and help them with their haul of new clothes. I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose, then headed out to help.

Later that evening, we were all home, all wearing nice clothes, all in the front of the house, and we all had smiles on our faces – Some genuine, but some not, and some were strained. Hardly any of us knew her, after all. Apparently, Rose and Em had been on an extended honeymoon at the time, and I actually wasn't sure if Alice and Jasper knew her or not.

A dark blue sleek flashy car without a top (I was still a complete dunce with cars) pulled in. She took her time getting out, and when she did, Edna went straight to my husband, pulling him in for a hug. Only the vampire's Cupid's-bow mouth and perfect button nose showed, between her scarf/headdress thing and her huge sunglasses. I supposed that was one way to cover up her no doubt red eyes. "Edward! It's been so long!" A beautiful birdsong-y voice rang out. Apparently the phone didn't do Edna's voice justice. "It's great to see you, Edna. Yes, it has been a long time." He said warmly, hugging her back. He pulled back and I saw he was smiling like the cat that ate the canary again.

"You know Carlisle and Esme already," Edward said, gesturing to them. "It's great to see you again, sir, and ma'am." Edna said with a small curtsy. I nearly gagged, and a quick glance behind me confirmed that Jasper was feeling the same way, although Alice was merely wrinkling her nose. "This is Rosalie and Emmett," Edward introduced, gesturing towards Rose and Em this time. "Hello, Edna." Rosalie said, dropping her fake smile. "It's nice to meet you." Emmett added, putting an arm around Rose. "No, the pleasure is all mine." Edna trilled. It was already getting on my nerves, and she'd spoken all of three times. "This is Alice and Jasper," Edward said, frowned at them above Edna's head. The two stepped forward almost reluctantly. "Hello." They said in unison, before smiling at each other. They'd broken up about a month before, if I recall right, but they still sometimes did couple things like that. "It's absolutely lovely to meet you! Edward, your family has grown so much." Guess who said that. Dingdingding, right first time! Edna! Edward shrugged, before calling me. "And this is my lovely wife, Bella." Edward said proudly, holding out one hand for me to take. I put my smile back on and stepped forward, taking his hand. "Hello, Edna. It's lovely to meet you." I forced out, noticing the way Edna was hanging onto Edward's other arm. "Let's go in, shall we? Bella will show you where you may put your things, Edna." Carlisle said, breaking the silence. "Alright, let me get everything out of the car." She chirped, running over to the car, opening one of the rear doors and getting out suitcase after suitcase after suitcase!

Soon Edna had a pile as tall as she was! Jasper went over and grabbed a few, although I could tell from his face he wasn't very happy about it. Emmett followed him, and Rosalie followed him. After two trips we got everything up in the spare room, although I went back and got the last two. I had noticed Edna hadn't picked up a thing, just scampered after me. "Here you go, Edna. These are the last ones." I said, placing them with the others in the corner by the bed. I noticed the huge sunglasses and the headdress/scarf thing were on top of the slightly unnecessary piece of furniture. "Thank you, Bella. So, you're the lucky one who captured Edward's heart, hmm?" She replied in a teasing tone before I could turn around. "You're welcome. And yes, I suppose I did. . ." I said, trailing off as I turned around. Edna was, without a doubt, the second most beautiful vampire I'd ever seen – Rosalie still outshined her, barely. Her perfect features smiled at me, a cold, threatening smile that didn't reach her dark burgundy eyes. "Well, don't you worry; I'll get him back before the month is out. You'll see, bitch. If you try to warn my darling Edward, he won't believe you. So don't, Miss Ugly."

**A/N: So, what did you think? To clarify, this is a Bella/Jasper (Belasper if you want a shipname) story. That particular romance will go slow. And yes, I'm putting Edward with a snobby outwardly-Mary-Sue-ish-on-purpose jerk. Don't like, don't read. Please review! (Also, sorry for the cliffy. . . Maybe ;)) And my spologies for the shortness!  
>Also, Secrets of a Cowboy fans if you're reading this: I'm so, so, so sorry chapter five is taking so long, I just can't get the motivation to finish it. It's half done, and I promise to have it up by. . . Valentine's Day! That will give me enough time, right?<strong>

**Ciao for now! –Corn (Yes, I'll be calling myself Corn. Deal.)**


	2. Misery and a surprise

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who favorited, followed, and reviewed to Happily Ever After – Or Not? (Not sure if that's phrased right, though. Lol.) It means a lot to me, and I quite literally do a happy dance every time an alert for a favorite, follow, or review pops up! Thank you for your support, everyone. At the end of the story I plan to express my gratitude in greater detail. (Along with a list of everyone who favorite, followed, and reviewed.) So, enjoy chapter two!  
>DISCLAIMER: I in no way own anything Twilight related – My name is not Stephanie Meyer! I'm not that imaginative, trust me. <strong>

During the next few weeks, Edna Ann (WITHOUT an E, she made sure we knew) DeCuliner made my life a living hell. She was always as sweet as honey around Esme, Carlisle, and Edward, but they weren't around often – Suddenly Esme was busy with her work, meeting people and going over last-minute details, and Carlisle was needed at the hospital more. I had a feeling that they disliked Edna as much as the rest of us, but found different ways of coping as we did. Edward was teaching children piano, and the school decided that he was ready to start teaching the more advanced kids, with lessons ranging from an hour and a half to two hours. (Although how anyone could play piano for two hours straight I have no idea.) Rosalie didn't much like her from the start, but after she ruined Rose's pet card project, which had taken about three hundred decks of cards and three weeks and still wasn't finished, Rosalie loathed her, scheming to find ways of making Edna's life as hard as possible while with us. Alice hated her after Edna had said that she thought Alice's visions were useless, pointless, and needless. . . Then Edna went on to 'accidentally' ruin all Alice's new Gucci. How she did it, I have no idea, but I did hear something about scissors, mud, and cake icing.  
>Emmett took Rose's cue and loathed her as well, but not just because of the things she did to Rose's card mansion. Edna had stated that she thought video games were silly and pointless, and in his opinion, Edna was a wimp. His phrasing, not mine, although I whole heartedly agreed. Jasper spent more time than usual in his study with the door locked. Not like that would stop a vampire, of course, but at least that way he got privacy. Sometimes I envied him, being able to escape whenever he wanted or needed to. Edna was always treating me the worse, acting as if I was Cinderella and she the stepsister ("Oh, Bella, the living room floor is <em>such<em> a disgrace! Mop it!" or "Bella, be a dear and plug up my computer. _NOW_!") Worst of all, though, was Edward's blindness. All of us except Esme and Carlisle approached him five days in and begged him to do something about her. Edward declined, saying Edna was a perfectly nice girl, and were we sure we weren't just jealous?

Jasper's private spot didn't last long, though. One day about ten days after Edna arrived I was on my way to return one of Jasper's books that he had lent me, and the door was open, and I could hear Edna. "What a tacky little study! But I simply _adore_ books. Oh, these are all on that trivial Civil War aren't they? What a pity." She simpered. I knew that Edna would be coming out that study door very soon, but the question was, would she be leaving of her own free will, or would Jasper literally kick her out? I made as if I was then walking up to the room, and sure enough, Edna came walking out rather quickly. "Hello, Edna." I greeted her. "Bella. Hello. Do you know, I was just noticing that this house is _dreadfully_ dusty; I want you to have it dusted by tomorrow at noon. I'm having company." She said coldly, after making sure that Edward, Esme, nor Carlisle was around. I sighed, "Yes, Edna." I wasn't going to stoop to her level, and besides, she had already ripped off my thumbs after I refused to do one of her menial tasks.

She smirked then stalked off, and I continued on my way. Just before I got to Jasper's study, Jasper poked his head out. "Bella!" He said warmly. I half-way smiled, too depressed to try and smile for real, as I walked into his room. (We all had such spots – Jasper and Carlisle had studies, Emmett had a shed out back, Esme had her garden, Edward had a music room, Rosalie had a room full of boxes full of cards and her past glued-together creations, Alice had a room full of clothes and a little nook for whatever she did in there (Wedding planning? I know she had an internet business for that. Outfit coordinating? I never figured it out), and I simply had a little cozy room full of books and knickknacks. )

Jasper's study wasn't at all tacky – It was cozy. There was a cherry wood desk with miscellaneous papers and his laptop in the middle, and instead of walls, there were shelves full of books. There was a lot of brown and tan, with some green sprinkled in, and a nice aroma of leather and books when you inhaled. I turned and handed Jasper his book; He'd stayed in the doorway, looking in. "Thanks, it was a great book." I said, noticing his frown. "You're welcome." Jasper replied. Then he sighed. "Bella, I heard what she said to you. Why do you let her talk to you like that? It's not like you. Edna has gotten everyone feeling . . . Off. Don't try to deny it, Bella, you and I both know there's no point." He said firmly. I leaned against the desk in defeat. "I already tried standing up to her – It does no good. She ripped off my thumbs, and then made me mop the living room floor without them." I admitted, hanging my head.

I heard Jasper's sharp intake of breath, felt a breeze, and then his hands were lifting mine, examining the faint scars around my thumbs. He shook his head slowly. "I'm sorry, Bella." Jasper whispered, letting go of my hands. "It's fine, Jazz. Really. It's not like she's going to stay with us forever. . . Right?" I murmured, hoping to whatever higher power there was if there was one that what I had just said was true. "Bella, look at me." Jasper said, pushing my chin up so I was looking up at his face. "Edna is toying with us – With all of us. She's got you too scared and depressed to stand up for yourself, so she can order you around for her own amusement. She has Carlisle wondering if maybe our diet is _that_ unnatural for vampires. She's got Rosalie pissed and reverting to her old ways. She has Emmett scared for his video games and all his shed stuff, and it's not easy to get Emmett scared. She's got Esme dry sobbing practically every day because of the way she treats all of us – And Esme's not even around for the worst of it! She has Alice hiding out in her room almost twenty four seven now to guard her clothes and Edna has me hiding in my study almost too scared to come out or to let anyone in. Everyone's emotions are telling me that you are definitely not happy campers, and Edna . . . Well, I'll count myself lucky if I don't have a mental breakdown. For instance, did you know that Edna's lust levels spike every time she sees a man that is around her age? And Bella, I hate to tell you this, but she has the major hots for your husband." Jasper said, shaking his head and moving his hand. "Yeah, I know she likes Edward. She told me so that first night." I scowled and added almost too low for Jasper to hear, "Understatement of the century."

After that, things worsened. Edna started verbally abusing me, and when I protested and called her names back, she ripped out my tongue. Emmett found me trying to figure out how to reattach it several hours later after I ended up cleaning the entire house, inside and out. Three days after that, two squirrels somehow got in Rosalie's card room and destroyed everything in it. At that little 'gift' from Edna, Rose and Em stayed in their rooms almost all the time. Edward started spending every moment he could with Edna. Jasper left on an extended hunting trip five days after the squirrel incident. I could _feel _the mating pull between Edward and me breaking down, but Edward never mentioned it. Three days after Jasper left I cornered my husband in desperation and demanded that he send Edna away. "Bella, are you sure you're not jealous?" was Edward's reply. I pushed my shield out from my mind and ran through the memories of everything Edna had said or done to me, and he glared at me. _He glared at __**me! **_ Me! For telling the truth! "Bella, we both know it's possible to lie with your thoughts." He said icily, and then he stormed away; Edward was planning on turning Edna vegetarian and that night was her first hunt our way.

The next room to be destroyed (This time by a raccoon) was mine. After I flung the raccoon out the window, I stood there looking at the mess. Almost all my sentimental knickknacks were broken or ruined. All the books were torn apart or trampled. It was a mess, a big, fat, tear-bringing, mess. I turned and started walking out of the room, dry heaving. "Oh, pull yourself together, bitch. What was in there, anyways? Just some dumb books and stupid junky clutter." Edna sneered. I snapped, and punched her in the nose, and then stood there stupidly. "Why, you fucking bitch!" Edna shrieked. I had a feeling that it was a good thing we were alone – Jasper was supposed to be coming back that day, and Rose, Em, and Alice were hunting. Esme and Carlisle were working. Edna jumped on me and tore off my right arm and my left ear, and probably was going to tear off more, but I grabbed my limbs and ran, dry sobbing from the pain – Both emotional and physical.

I ended up in a barn on an abandoned property about thirty miles west of the house. I curled up in the moldy old hay and continued the vampire version of crying, miserable and hurting. It wasn't just the loss of all my pretty, sentimental things, it was everything else too. All the verbal abuse, all the needless cleaning, all the torture, everything just came to the surface. I wanted Jasper. He never judged me, never said anything bad to me, never did any of that, he was just always there for me, always had a kind word, always knew what to say and do at the right time, was what Edward _used_ to be, what Edward _should_ have been. Jasper always knew if I needed to be comforted, or left to stew in my self-pity for a little while longer, if I wanted help or didn't. I just wanted Jasper, wanted him to hug me and tell me it was alright, wanted him to tell me it was going to be okay, wanted him to rub my back and let me bawl my misery out, then gently help me cheer up a little.

After about fifteen minutes of that, I became aware of someone enter the barn and sit down beside me. I automatically moved towards the familiar scent, and he obligingly moved, letting me put my head on his shoulder, clutch him to me with my one hand, and continue to let out my misery. After thirty more minutes, I wasn't dry crying any more, but I _was_ mentally exhausted, so I didn't move. "You okay now, darlin'?" Jasper asked, breaking the silence. I sat up properly and nodded. "How did you find me?" I asked, and he shrugged. "I felt your sadness first, then heard you. After that, it was easy to find you. Edna again?" He said softly, licking my ear and holding it in place until the venom healed the wound. "Thanks. And yeah, Edna struck again." I said, venom welling up in my eyes as I reattached my arm. "Edna put a raccoon in my room, criticized it, I punched her, and she started tearing things off. I grabbed my arm and ear then ran." I summarized, and Jasper nodded – It was an unspoken rule in the Cullen household: Never criticize other people's rooms, along with never go in other's rooms unless given permission, never break anything in other people's rooms, so on and so forth.

It was right then I felt the last of the mating pull between me and Edward collapse. I gasped as I hunched forward, arms going around my chest. The pain was like being changed into a vampire, but multiply it by ten. It hadn't even hurt that much when Edward had left me. (For those of you who have read the books, I'm referring to the second one, the one Ms. Stephanie Meyer called _New Moon_) The pain eased slowly away, but I stayed in the same position, panting. "Bella! Are you alright?" I was aware of Jasper gripping my shoulders, worry coloring his tone as he felt everything I did: Shocked, betrayed, and still hurting. "Jasper, I don't know, I just felt the last of the mating pull crumble away." I babbled, still shocked. I looked up at Jasper's face. "Bella, do you mean to say that you had been feeling the mating pull between you and Edward disappear, and you kept this very important fact _to yourself_!?" Jasper asked, his voice rising. "Yes. . ." I replied with a gulp. Then I realized that I felt a deeper pull, one that was tugging, like it was saying exasperatedly, _Hey, dummy, you should listen to this feeling! Not the fake one that messed you up royally!_ As I looked into Jasper's eyes, I realized that he felt it too, had maybe always felt it. Slowly, we started leaning toward each other. I tilted my head, closed my eyes, and our lips connected.

**A/N: Dang, I feel rotten leavin' you with that cliffy and then having to spoil it all with this Author's Note. I'm pretty sure I said that the BellaXJasper (Or my pet name, Belasper) pairing would ge slow, but I couldn't help myself. Please, review and lemme know what you think!  
>~Corn<strong>


	3. Explanations and Rosalie

**A/N: Hello again, y'all! Here's chapter three, I hope you enjoy. Also, please read the Author's Note at the end.  
>DISCLAIMER: I own nothing but the plot, nor am I making any money off this. My only payment is the enjoyment of others when they read this and the happiness I have in writing it. Okay? Okay.<strong>

The kiss was like nothing I'd ever experienced before. It was sweet, with neither of us trying to take it any further. When Edward and I kissed, it had always been like Edward was trying to go farther – Much farther. (Another thing those ridiculous books got wrong. _Edward_ was the one trying to take my clothes off, or his, and right from the beginning too.) But with Jasper, it wasn't anything like that; it was sweet, simple, and, well, wonderful. When the kiss ended, I opened my eyes and found Jasper studying me. "You've realized." It was a statement, not a question, but I nodded anyway. "How long have you known . . . ?" I asked, feeling bad I'd been so infatuated with Edward I hadn't bothered to stop and dig deeper, look at my true feelings. Jasper smiled a half smile, remarkably a lot like the one I'd fallen head over heels for on Idiotward, also known as Edward, but nicer, sweeter, less smug. "Since the first day I saw you." He said, honesty coloring his voice. "I was so stupid, so into myself, that I didn't stop to think, didn't stop to _really_ look at how I felt. I'm so sorry." I said with my voice dropping to a whisper as I buried my head in my hands. Almost instantly I was sitting sideways on Jasper's lap, and he was rubbing my back and rocking me, not bothering to use his gift to comfort me.

I relaxed and let him; I turned my face just enough so I could rub my face in Jasper's neck, letting his scent wash over me. "Darlin', don't apologize. Don't you think Edward had something to do with it?" He murmured, and I tilted my head up to look at up at Jasper, surprised and confused. "Edward knows that I feel the pull towards you, but once he realized that you were his singer, well, his plans went from there. Apparently Edward was hit very strongly by your shield, your scent, and your beauty – He wrote all about it in his journal. And yes, I discovered his journal and read it. He went to Alaska to try and run from you, yes, but not just because you were his singer, but because Edward realized that he had a major crush on you. While he was there, he contacted someone – I don't know who – who can put a false mating pull in place, and given enough time, it could become real. Edward went against his better judgment when he decided to pursue you romantically. He knew it wouldn't sit well with me, and he paid the price, too." Jasper explained, his mouth twisting up in an upset kind of way.

I hugged my real mate, rubbing his back and stroking his beautiful blonde head now. I realized, then, just how much pain and hurt I'd put Jasper through as he put his head on my shoulder, his own shoulders shaking. "We're together now, baby, and I promise that will never happen again." I vowed, meaning every word. I wasn't so stupid as to think that Jasper and I weren't together – We were mates, and both of us realized that now. Even if I had to go behind Edward's back, even if Esme and Rosalie and Alice and Emmett and Carlisle hated me because I was prepared to go behind Edward's back, we _were_ going to stay together. I didn't care what the hell I had to do.

When Jasper recovered, we just sat there, taking in each other's scent and hugging each other. I remember realizing that we must have looked strange; I was sitting on Jasper's lap, slightly diagonal now, and we had our heads on each other's shoulders, with our arms around each other. But I didn't care the slightest bit. "We should be getting back, shouldn't we?" I said with a sigh, breaking the comfortable silence as I lifted my head. Jasper nodded, "But we shouldn't get back at the same time; Edward would know that something's up." He warned as he moved. "Jazzy, what are we going to do? We can't hide that we're together forever." I moaned. "If we leave, they know something will be up, and I can't face leaving Rose and Em and Alice and Esme and Carlisle. Esme would be heartbroken!" I added. Jasper pushed a wave of calm to me. "It's best to think this through with a clear head, darlin'." He said. "Now, why don't we wait until Edward and Edna go huntin' again, then we tell the family? After that, you leave Edward to me." Jazz finished with a slightly grim tone. I reached up and cupped my hand around his cheek. "Just be careful, Jazzy." I pleaded. Jasper chuckled and put his hand over mine. "I always am, my mate." He murmured.

After that, we had stood up, and Jasper kissed me softly again. Then I was sent on my way, and I didn't even have to pretend to be miserable – Now that I'd realized that Idiotward wasn't my real mate, that my Jasper was, I could feel the ache in my chest. I spent the next three hours _trying _to clean up my room, but Edna kept me busy with various mundane, dull, boring tasks. Really, it was ridiculous. Rosalie, Emmett, and Alice returned at the end of the three hours, saw the state of my room, and were horrified. They immediately offered to help me clean up, and I readily accepted. By the time three more hours had gone passed, the place looked spick-and-span, if bare. I'd been forced to throw away most of my things, as they were too broken and trampled to fix or put back in their places. We stood in the middle of my room and looked around. "Thank you so much, guys." I said as I hugged my sisters and brother. "Bella, it was nothing. I went through the same thing, and you helped me." Rosalie said as she hugged me back. "No thanks are needed, Bella. It was the least I could do." Alice trilled. "You're welcome, Bella, but it was nothing. Don't worry, we'll find you some more things." Emmett told me, his normally cheerful disposition damped.

Then I felt a little encouragement and love gently making itself aware to me, and I tried hard to not smile. Jasper was finally heading back! The front door opened and closed, and then we all heard his Southern drawl calling, "Where is everyone?" the four of us glanced at each other, our faces lighting up, then we all ran down the stairs, throwing ourselves at our brother – Or in my case, mate. (And yes, Alice calls Jasper a brother. Slightly strange, maybe, but one of the reasons they broke up was because was they felt more like brother and sister to each other, not husband and wife/boyfriend and girlfriend. Confusing, I know.) Jasper laughed as we all piled on top of him, our weight causing us to fall. "You're back!" We chorused. "We missed you!" Rosalie. "Hey, bro, great to have you back!" Emmett. "Welcome back!" Alice. "It's been so long!" Me, of course. It had only been six hours, but it felt like a life time. "Well, if this is the reception I get when I come back from an extended hunting trip, maybe I should go more often." Jasper teased. "NO!" was our immediate loud reaction; I was surprised he didn't lose a little of his hearing.

We laughed until the dreaded voice sounded at the top of the stairs. "For goodness sake, what is all this fuss about?! I've called for you three times, Bella! Get my car out of the garage and pull it up to the front, NOW! I have a few things in town I need to see too! So what if Mr. Scars got back from hunting, right now I'm a guest and therefore more important than some old scarred idiot!" Edna snapped out. The five of us were sitting up by then, the mood totally killed. "Yes, Edna." I said obediently as I stood up, inconspicuously placing a warning hand on Jasper's arm. That had not been the time or the place for him to go all protective, and Jay (In my mind he was turning into Jay, Jazz, or Jazzy already) would have, I knew it.

After Edna left, I walked inside and sagged against the doorway. Edna's parting shot hadn't been pleasant. Along with taking the opportunity to tell me exactly what she thought of me – Again – Edna had decided I was to mow the lawn; apparently, having grass two inches tall was a disgrace. The mower would only take off half an inch, but I kept my mouth shut. Jasper appeared in front of me, rubbing his hands up and down my arms making sure she hadn't done any damage. "I'm fine," I assured him with a smile as I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around his waist. Rosalie exclaimed, "What the hell is going on?!"

Jazz and I shot apart, I nearly panicking. I started to say something, but the only thing that came out was a squeak. That in itself was humiliating; I've only decided to put it down because Rosalie threatened to kidnap me, and only me, for two months.

Rosalie tapped her toe. "Well? I know that something is not what it seems here. Something hasn't been right for days, and now I walk in here to find Jasper practically having a mate's reaction to you walking out of his sight!" She said meaningfully. "Well, Rose, just how well can you hide your thoughts from Edward?" Jazzy asked the irritated blonde. "And Rose, stop tapping your toe or the floor's gonna crack." He added a second later. Rosalie huffed and decided to take it easy on the floor. "I figure I can hide my thoughts from Edward just as well as you can, Jasper Whitlock! Now either you tell me what's going on _right now_ or I swear to God I _will_ kidnap Bella and take her somewhere you'll never find her." She threatened. Jasper and I both nearly screamed "NO!" Rose raised an eyebrow. "Well? I'm waiting." I gulped. "Should you, should I, or together?" I asked, glancing at Jazz. "Me doing it probably would send Rose into a laughing fit, you doing would likely result in her kidnapping you, so maybe together is the best option." Jazz answered. I gulped.

We both took a deep breath and said, "We're mates."

**A/N: Ah, how we writers love cliffhangers, and how you readers hate them. What happens next? What's Rosalie's reaction to the news? Will they keep Emmett in the dark? *****Ducks flying shoe***** Alright, alright! Well, did all the dialogue at the beginning of this chapter spoil the romanticism of the last? That's been bugging me since, oh, I don't know, THE BEGINNING OF THE DADGUM CHAPTER! Are the chapters too short?  
>Also an important few questions: I was intended to keep all the chapters in Bella's POV, but should I switch off, or randomly change, or keep them in Bella POV? I know I have her narrating, but you never know. ;) I NEED YOUR OPINION PEOPLE! :P No, really, I do though. Please review! Also sorry for the long AN.**

**See y'all later, my wonderful readers!  
>Corn<strong>


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